Abstract
Aim: Hard-to-heal diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) may increase the risk of amputation. This study reports the positive influence of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on hard-to-heal DFUs involving underlying bone. Method: A single-centre, retrospective cohort study reporting the results of HBOT and wound care on hard-to-heal University of Texas grade 3 DFUs (i.e., involving underlying bone) between 2013 and 2019. Outcome measures were primarily (near-) complete wound healing (i.e., ≥80% ulcer surface area reduction) and amputation rate (minor or major), and secondarily the number of hyperbaric sessions and improvement in quality of life (QoL) and pain score. Results: The study included 206 patients, of whom 74 (36%) achieved complete wound healing, and 75 (36%) near-complete healing. Amputations were performed in 27 patients (13%): 12 (6%) minor and 15 (7%) major. The median number of HBOT sessions was 42. Participants who achieved complete healing received a median of 43 sessions, compared with 10 for those who required major amputation. Patients with at least 30 sessions were less likely to undergo amputation (odds ratio: 0.08; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.03-0.21). Mean QoL increased by 7.6 points (95%CI: 3.9-11.3; p≤0.01) and median pain score fell from 3 to 1 (0-3) (p≤0.01). Conclusions: The addition of HBOT to standard wound care may lead to a decreased amputation risk, improved wound healing and increased QoL for people with a University of Texas grade 3 DFU. An adequate number of HBOT sessions is required to achieve optimal clinical results. Objective selection criteria and shared decision-making are suggested to improve dropout rates. Declaration of interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. No specific funding was received for this work.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 722-728 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Journal of wound care |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2 Sept 2021 |
Keywords
- diabetes
- diabetic foot
- foot ulcer
- hyperbaric medicine
- hyperbaric oxygen therapy
- infection
- retrospective study
- ulcer
- wound
- wound healing